“Mr. Deng, we had an agreement before.”
Xu Yongbo stared directly at Deng Hongsheng, then gestured to the two foreigners beside him, a man and a woman. The male foreigner appeared to be middle-aged, and he and his assistant clearly didn't understand Chinese. They were engrossed in the patient's files, quietly discussing something with the younger female assistant.
“Mr. Joe Wellber is an authoritative expert in psychiatry. I went through immense effort, begging and pleading, to invite him to our psychiatric hospital to collect patient samples for research, hoping to develop a drug specifically for treating mental illness.”
Xu Yongbo's eyes widened slightly, and he spoke to Deng Hongsheng with considerable impoliteness. “Mr. Deng, you agreed before to let your wife be Mr. Joe Wellber’s experimental subject. She's only undergone two treatment courses, and now you're having someone else treat her. Aren't you violating our initial agreement?”
These words caused Gu Yuanbai and Wan Yunting, along with Gu Luotang and the others, to turn and look at Deng Hongsheng beside them. Naturally, they didn’t know the Joe Wellber mentioned by Xu Yongbo.
“Principal Gu, this Joe Wellber is indeed an authoritative expert in psychiatry from the United States.”
Deng Hongsheng pointed to the foreigner Joe Wellber beside Xu Yongbo, introducing him to Gu Yuanbai and Wan Yunting. He sighed and said, “They are researching a drug to control the acute episodes of mental illness, so Hui Ping is currently taking their new experimental drug!”
“New drug?”
Qi Miaomiao’s eyes widened. She exclaimed in surprise to Deng Hongsheng, “Isn't this making Sister Hui Ping a guinea pig for them?”
“Hey, Miss, please watch your words!”
Xu Yongbo glared, pointing at Qi Miaomiao. “We are not using patients as guinea pigs. Rather, Mr. Joe Wellber’s medical team has developed a drug that can control the worsening of mental illness. It has already been validated in the United States and undergone clinical trials, where it was administered to patients with results several times better than the current psychiatric drugs on the market.”
“And this drug is precisely a new one that our psychiatric hospital is procuring. However, Mr. Joe Wellber wishes to continue improving it and enhancing its efficacy, which is why he is selecting a few patients in our psychiatric hospital for trial testing!”
“Tch.”
Qi Miaomiao rolled her eyes at him and said, “That’s still like testing on a guinea pig.”
Xu Yongbo pointed at her and stated forcefully, “Let me emphasize again, this drug is safe. You can ask Mr. Deng about its effectiveness. His wife has been taking Mr. Joe Wellber’s new drug these past two days, and her episodes haven't they occurred much less frequently?”
Deng Hongsheng glanced at his wife lying on the bed. Indeed, Xu Huiping’s mental state had been much calmer since taking the new drug.
Before, Xu Huiping was perpetually deranged, spending her days in a daze clutching her son’s cloth doll and babbling incoherently. She wouldn’t eat properly, let alone sleep.
Sometimes, in the dead of night, she would inexplicably scream, crying out her son’s name, causing other patients to go mad along with her.
Not long ago, caregivers had complained to the director multiple times, nearly getting Xu Huiping expelled from the psychiatric hospital. If Deng Hongsheng hadn't paid extra, this mentally disturbed patient might not even have been able to stay in the psychiatric hospital. One could imagine how severe Xu Huiping’s illness was.
Although Xu Huiping had quieted down a bit in the past two days after taking Joe Wellber’s new drug, her condition remained very poor, especially physically. Due to excessive medication, her body had suffered serious problems.
“However, Mr. Deng, I am curious, are you planning to have this…”
Xu Yongbo pointed at Gu Yuanbai, momentarily unable to recall who Deng Hongsheng had introduced him as earlier.
“Take your finger away, where are you pointing?”
Qi Miaomiao immediately shielded Gu Yuanbai, batting away Xu Yongbo’s impolite finger, and glared at him with a cold snort. “Listen clearly, my master is the principal of Huadu City University of Traditional Chinese Medicine!”
“So it’s Principal Gu from the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.”
Xu Yongbo adjusted his glasses and glanced at Qi Miaomiao and Gu Yuanbai and Wan Yunting behind her. His eyes revealed undisguised contempt and disdain. He chuckled and said, “Mr. Deng, so you mean to invite these traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to treat your wife?”
“Yes.”
Deng Hongsheng nodded. He wanted to introduce Wan Yunting again, but Xu Yongbo waved his hand and chuckled, “Mr. Deng, I know you are also the vice-principal of Huadu City University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, but I’m not looking down on you; I’m looking down on traditional Chinese medicine!”
At these words, Gu Yuanbai’s old eyebrows twitched, and Wan Yunting beside him narrowed his eyes. Gu Luotang’s pretty face turned cold, and Qi Miaomiao’s eyes widened as she pointed at him and yelled, “What did you say? You look down on traditional Chinese medicine! What right do you have to look down on traditional Chinese medicine?”
Xu Yongbo’s face was filled with disdain, his demeanor provoking. He contemptuously swept his gaze over Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai, chuckling, “Traditional Chinese medicine is an outdated thing. Why should I respect it? Go to any major hospital and see, which patient seeks treatment from traditional Chinese medicine practitioners?”
“Heh, and they call themselves universities of traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine is a joke now.”
Joe Wellber, standing nearby, heard his assistant translate that Gu Yuanbai and the others were practitioners of Chinese medicine. Joe Wellber also let out a light chuckle, shaking his head slightly in a show of disdain.
To Westerners, Chinese medicine was simply a backward medical practice devoid of any scientific basis. Therefore, in the eyes of Westerners, traditional Chinese medicine was akin to witchcraft, incredibly primitive.
“Alright, Mr. Deng, you should have them leave. Mr. Joe Wellber needs to examine your wife.”
Xu Yongbo waved his hand, urging Deng Hongsheng to quickly take Gu Yuanbai and Wan Yunting out. He chuckled, “Lest you stay here and embarrass yourselves in front of Mr. Joe Wellber!”
“What do you mean by that…”
These words made Qi Miaomiao explode. Gu Luotang’s pretty face turned somber, her eyes coldly fixed on this Xu Yongbo. His words were truly infuriating.
“Dr. Xu, Principal Gu and Vice Chairman Wan came to treat my wife with the permission of your father, Dean Xu.”
Deng Hongsheng’s expression also soured, especially since Xu Yongbo completely disregarded Gu Yuanbai and Wan Yunting and showed such contempt for traditional Chinese medicine, which made him feel very uncomfortable.
Therefore, Deng Hongsheng’s expression turned serious, and he solemnly told Xu Yongbo and Joe Wellber, “Furthermore, I am now formally informing you that my wife is no longer your research subject. You should find other patients!”
This caused Xu Yongbo’s expression to darken. He stared directly at Deng Hongsheng and said, “Mr. Deng, you should think carefully. You know your wife’s condition better than anyone. If you don’t let us treat her, I can guarantee she won’t make it through this year!”
“You…”
These words made Deng Hongsheng anxious.
“You are mistaken!”
At this moment, Wan Yunting patted Deng Hongsheng’s shoulder, asking him to step aside, and stepped forward to face Xu Yongbo directly.
Looking at his arrogant and conceited demeanor, Wan Yunting couldn’t help but curve his lips into a smile and retorted unceremoniously, “You, sir, are eating the same rice but have forgotten your own surname. On what basis do you look down on traditional Chinese medicine? Do you know how many years our traditional Chinese medicine has been passed down? If you don’t know, you can go back to primary school and study properly before coming out to embarrass yourself.”
“Kid, you say I’m embarrassing myself?”
Xu Yongbo was enraged. His eyes beneath his glasses glared fiercely at Wan Yunting in front of him. He pointed at his own nose and scoffed, “Let me tell you, I graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and obtained a doctorate in medicine in the United States, specializing in mental illnesses.
“In terms of qualifications, I am the youngest director in this psychiatric hospital. Do you still think I got this position because of my dad?”
These words made Wan Yunting nod and smile. Qi Miaomiao let out a cold snort of disdain, “Is having a degree so great? We are talking about you looking down on traditional Chinese medicine!”
“Tch.”
Xu Yongbo tilted his head with a disdainful cold laugh, then turned back to stare directly at Wan Yunting in front of him and said arrogantly, “Don’t try to brag to me with your five thousand years of traditional Chinese medicine heritage and other nonsense. If traditional Chinese medicine were scientific, why do people nowadays go to hospitals when they get sick, instead of seeking out traditional Chinese medicine practitioners?”
“Heh, the facts are plain to see. You who study traditional Chinese medicine should stop boasting about yourselves. You can boast to me, but boasting in front of foreigners is embarrassing yourselves and disgracing our Chinese people.”
Qi Miaomiao’s eyes widened, and she said indignantly, “That’s because you don’t understand traditional Chinese medicine, just like those brainless internet trolls who only attack our traditional Chinese medicine.”
“You’re right, I don’t understand traditional Chinese medicine.”
Xu Yongbo appeared indifferent, looking at Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai with a cold smile. “How about this, I’ll give you an opportunity. Since Mr. Joe Wellber is also here, why don’t you let us have a good look at what traditional Chinese medicine is! How does traditional Chinese medicine treat mental illness? Is that okay?”
Joe Wellber’s assistant also translated for him. He nodded, seemingly interested in seeing how they would treat mental illness with traditional Chinese medicine.
“Alright, then let me show you what Chinese medical arts are.”
Qi Miaomiao nodded, glared at Xu Yongbo, then turned to Wan Yunting and said, “Brother Yunting, you need to do your best and shut them up…”
“No, when Little Wan treats, they can’t be present!” Gu Yuanbai said sternly.
“Heh.”
This made Xu Yongbo even more contemptuously sneer. He glanced at Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai, shaking his head and laughing, “No wonder your traditional Chinese medicine is in decline. Your thinking is too rigid. You won’t even let people watch you treat an illness. Truly hopeless.”
Wan Yunting ignored him, turned to Gu Yuanbai, and smiled, “Old Gu, they don’t even know what traditional Chinese medicine is. How could they possibly recognize my acupuncture technique? It’s fine to let them have a look.”
“Yes, Brother Yunting is right.”
Qi Miaomiao nodded in agreement, cast a cold glance at Xu Yongbo and the others, and snorted, “They probably don’t even know what the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate are…”
“Miaomiao!”
Gu Yuanbai turned and glared at her. Qi Miaomiao realized something and quickly covered her mouth, realizing she shouldn’t mention the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate…
Wan Yunting smiled. Even if he told Xu Yongbo and these two foreigners about the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate, they wouldn’t know what they were. Therefore, there was no need to worry about them being able to spread the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate.